Finding fermentation

Where Boulder County Extension Office, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont, on the Boulder County Fairgrounds

Cost $25

Info 303-678-6238

Etc. If class is sold out, a new class will be formed from waiting list

And you thought it was only for sauerkraut.

Fermentation is making a big comeback as a preservation method, as people experiment with pickles, kimchi and traditional beverages made by allowing bacteria to create lactic acid, which along with salt or sugar acts as a preservative. The method is ancient, dating to a time when canning and refrigeration weren't yet thought of. In recent years, the attraction is partly that fermented foods contain probiotics, which are believed to help balance the mix of intestinal flora. Fermentation also is a low-energy way to preserve vegetables. Think sauerkraut as opposed to pickles that call for vinegar and must be boiled for several minutes in a water bath.

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Lisa Turner of inspiredeating.com and an instructor at Bauman College, says fermented foods are drawing new interest, much as they did in the 1970s.

"All my hippie recipes are coming back," she says with a laugh.

At Bauman, she teaches students how to make beverages such as Eastern European kvass, made with fermented beets and liquid whey, as well as sweet potato fly, a fermented beverage with roots in Africa and then the American South, which contains sweet potatoes, sugar, liquid whey, and spices such as ginger and mace. (Whey can be purchased at some natural food stores or made simply by straining plain yogurt with live, active cultures through a cheesecloth. The clearish liquid is the whey.) Turner also shows students how to make more familiar -- and some would say tastier -- foods such as kimchi and preserved lemons.

Turner says it has likely taken awhile for fermentation to catch on in modern cultures because of concerns about food safety. She says: "It's a thin line between fermentation and rot, and most people don't want to tread that line."

That said, it's pretty clear when something goes wrong with fermentation, generally in the form of mold or the wrong strain of bacteria. You only have to trust your eyes and your nose. Mold is visible, and fermented foods should have a smell that Turner describes as "fresh" and "sour." She describes the smell of the process gone wrong as "Oh holy God, get this out of here."

However, certain fermented foods, such as sauerkraut made from cabbage have an odor that not everyone would describe as fresh even when the fermentation process is working correctly.

Anne Zander, a Colorado State University Extension agent, gets around sauerkraut's smell in an interesting way. She makes the kraut in canning jars rather than the traditional crock and places them in a plastic file box during fermentation to contain the smell.

Zander, who will be teaching a fermentation class Saturday at the Boulder County Extension on the fairgrounds in Longmont, make sauerkraut by pounding shredded cabbage with salt to draw out moisture, which covers the cabbage during pickling. Sometimes she adds shredded apples as well, and, if necessary, a brine to keep the vegetables submerged. The pounding method makes for a shorter fermentation time than traditional sauerkraut in which weight placed on shredded cabbage draws out the moisture -- a couple of weeks compared with three to four. In the class, participants make a jar of sauerkraut to take home and ferment, as well as homemade gingerale.

The gingerale is made in a 2-liter soda bottle by combining grated ginger, sugar, yeast lemon juice and water. The mixture sits at room temperature two to three days until the bottle can no longer be squeezed; it becomes full of gas from the fermentation.

Zander emphasizes that it's important to use a plastic bottle, because a glass bottle can explode. After the gingerale is fermented, the ginger is strained out, and the beverage can be stored in the refrigerator, which stops fermentation.

"It's got a fresh, natural taste," Zander says.

Spiced Preserved Lemons

5 medium, fat lemons

3 to 4 tablespoons sea salt

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup or more fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Dircdtions: Slice off a small amount of lemon from each end of the lemons. From the top to the bottom, cut a cross into the lemons, to within 1/2 inch of the base, so that the quarters stay together. Sprinkle salt on the inside surfaces of each lemon (using 1 to 2 tablespoons of the salt), and press each back together.

Place 1 tablespoon of the salt on the bottom of a jar that's just large enough to accommodate lemons (lemons should fit as tightly as possible into jar; a quart jar should fit nicely, if lemons are large). Put lemons in the jar and push them down firmly. Sprinkle coriander, peppercorns, fennel seeds and remaining 1 tablespoon of salt around the lemons. Tuck the bay leaf and cinnamon stick into the jar.

Add the fresh lemon juice to cover the lemons, using more if needed. Make sure the lemons are completely submerged in the juice; do not substitute water for juice. If lemons are very juicy, they may give off enough juice during packing that you only need a small amount of the fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Set jar in a warm place and let lemons ripen for about 30 days. Invert jar daily if possible to mix salt and spices with lemon. When lemons have cured, store in the refrigerator. Use a small amount of the flesh and/or peel to season Moroccan dishes, kale salads, steamed rice, quinoa pilafs, and many other foods.

Directions: Quarter cabbage lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Discard core. Combine cabbage and salt in a large bowl and toss to mix with your hands. Add water just to cover; set a plate inside bowl to keep cabbage submerged and let stand overnight or for 12 hours. Drain cabbage, rinse well and squeeze dry.

Combine garlic, fish sauce, chili powder and honey in a bowl and mix well. Add cabbage, daikon and scallions, and mix well with your hands.

Pack mixture into a quart-sized wide mouth jar, pressing down firmly and leaving 1 inch of space at the top of the jar. Cover with lid and let stand in a cool, dark place for 1 to 3 days. Open to let gases escape, then refrigerate for another 3 to 5 days before eating.

Directions: Place beets, whey and salt in a 2-quart glass container. Add filtered water to fill the container. Stir well and cover securely. Keep at room temperature for 2 days before transferring to refrigerator.

When most of liquid has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature another 2 days. The resulting brew will be slightly less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however, reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculate instead of the whey.

Yield: 2 quarts.

Source: "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon

Gingerale

1 cup cane table sugar

11/2-2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger root (see note)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon fresh granular baker's yeast

Cold, fresh pure water

Directions: Add 1 cup sugar to a 2 liter bottle with a dry funnel. Leave the funnel in place until you are ready to cap the bottle.

Add yeast through funnel into the bottle, shake to disperse the yeast grains into the sugar granules.

Place grated ginger in the cup measure. Add the juice of a whole lemon to the grated ginger and stir to form a slurry.

Add the slurry of lemon juice and grated ginger to the bottle.

Rinse containers with fresh clean water. Add the rinsings to the bottle, cap and shake to distribute.

Fill the bottle to the neck with fresh cool clean water, leaving about an inch of head space, securely screw cap down to seal. Invert repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve sugar. The ginger root will not dissolve, of course.

Place in a warm location for 24 to 48 hours. Test bottle by pressing to see if carbonation is complete by squeezing the bottle forcefully with your thumb. If it dents, it is not ready.If the bottle is hard, the gingerale is done. Do not leave at room temperature longer than necessary to feel hard. The excess pressure may cause an eruption when you open it, or even explode the bottle.

Once the bottle feels hard to a forceful squeeze, place in the refrigerator. Before opening, refrigerate at least overnight to thoroughly chill. Crack the lid of the thoroughly chilled ginger ale just a little to release the pressure slowly. You do not want a ginger ale fountain.

Filter the gingerale through a strainer if you find floating pieces of ginger objectionable. These are found in the first glass or two poured, and, since most of the ginger sinks to the bottom, the last glass or so may require filtering too. Rinse the bottle after use.

Source: Anne Zander, Colorado State University Extension for Boulder County

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